It’s a typical Monday. You’re late for school and it happens. There’s a car casually sitting in the left lane going the same speed as the other lanes. You try to be nice and sit behind them for a minute, but they don’t budge. So you get a little more adventurous and begin to get closer. However, they never speed up or get over which leaves you hopeless and angered. This concept of sitting in the left lane needs to stop. I’m beginning to believe that people are having a power trip because they think they can, when in reality they can’t.

Some argue that they can stay in the left lane if they are  speeding: however, this is not the case. Legally speaking this is illegal, according to Mathiesen, Wickert, and Lehrer Lawfirm “a growing number of states[including South Carolina] now require drivers in the left lane to move to the right, even if they are driving at or exceeding the speed limit. The speed of their vehicle is irrelevant. There is a duty to keep right and use the left lane for passing only”. This is also stated directly in S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-1810 and S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-1840 which state “Drivers must drive in the right lane except when overtaking and passing another vehicle; when an obstruction exists in the right lane; upon a roadway with three marked traffic lanes; or upon a roadway designated for one-way traffic. Slower traffic must keep right”. So essentially you can be pulled over by the police for holding up traffic in the left lane. 

Speaking of the police another important fact that I would like to discuss is that when a police car begins to follow you, the best thing that you can do is to get over not slam on breaks. This only puts other people in danger and creates another backup of cars. This isn’t the case every time, but a good part of the time that a cop gets behind you in the left lane they are just trying to get by. So please take this into account for everyone else’s sake.

In conclusion please get out the left lane and be a good human being. Not only are you helping other people get places on time but you’re helping yourself out. If you let someone faster than you go by than they will get pulled over by any cop that is on the road ahead. So even if you are a self-centered person you are not losing, only benefiting from the fact that you won’t get pulled over because that will definitely make you lose your powertrip.